This recipe has a hint of Thai flavours which makes it wonderfully tasty.

Firstly, lay the pastry on a buttered sheet of baking parchment and place it in the fridge.

Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan, whisk the eggs together, then add to the pan and cook to make a thin omelette. Put aside to cool (keep approx ¼ of an egg, to glaze the pastry).

Roughly chop the pak choi. Finely chop the coriander, lemongrass and chillies and mix with the grated garlic, ginger and lime zest.

To assemble

Take the pastry out of the fridge. Trim the omelette so that it is roughly the size of the salmon.

Place the omelette in the middle of the pastry, then cover the omelette with the pak choi, followed by the salmon. If the salmon tail is thin, fold it over on top of itself so that the salmon is roughly an equal thickness. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the salmon and a little of the lime juice.

Fold the pastry over the salmon making a neat parcel. Where it joins, use the egg wash to glue it together. Trim the excess so that you don’t have lumps of pastry (as they will not cook). If you have excess pastry you can cut-out some shapes and decorate the top before using the egg wash to glaze the pastry.

Place on a preheated baking sheet, in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and golden.

This sardine salad with roasted red peppers is rich in vitamins and minerals. Serve with warm crusty bread, a glass of wine and think of summer with every bite!

Serves 4

Level of difficulty: Low

Preparation time: 60 minutes

Ingredients

8 red peppers (can also be green or yellow)

8 canned sardines (in oil)

Salt and black pepper, to taste

For the vinaigrette:

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp sherry vinegar

1 small sweet onion, finely diced

1tbsp finely chopped parsley

Balsamic glaze to decorate

Preparation

1. Place the peppers on a baking tray at roast at 220°C for 20-30 minutes or until the skin in black. Cover with a clean wet cloth and allow them cool. Once the peppers are cool peel off the skin and remove seeds. Slice the peppers into strips.

2. To make the dressing: whisk the olive oil, vinegar, onion, salt, black pepper and parsley. Slice the sardines in half lengthways and remove bones.

3. To serve: arrange the peppers on a place, top with the sardines and then spoon over the dressing. Decorate the plate with balsamic glaze.

* Chef’s tip: For this easy recipe, it is important to use high quality ingredients such as virgin olive oil. For an extra special touch use a balsamic glaze to decorate the plate (available in most supermarkets).

Combine pasta with asparagus and Parma ham for an elegant dish. The grilled asparagus is lightly browned for a distinctive and divine flavour. It’s important that the butter is great quality as with so few extra ingredients it has nowhere to hide. Making your own pasta isn’t difficult and the difference in flavour is so impressive and absolutely worth it.

Add the flour and salt to a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together 4 eggs, then add about two thirds of the egg into the flour and bring together to form a dough — you’ll really have to knead it to come together, adding more egg if necessary.
The dough should be pliable but not wet and sticky. Next, knead the pasta dough for about 5 minutes until it becomes smooth on the surface, then rest for 10 minutes.
Next roll it out. If you’re using a pasta machine you’ll need to roll it out first on the thickest setting, then through the machine again one setting thinner. Keep going until the pasta is about 1mm thick – — you should be able to read a newspaper headline through it when it’s rolled!
Alternatively you can use a good old rolling pin, and simply use a little flour to roll out the dough to the same 1mm thickness.
You now have pasta sheets, which you can cut in to strips about 1cm wide. Dust with a little flour to stop the ribbons sticking. Set aside.
Next prepare the asparagus, snap off the tough woody part at the bottom of each asparagus spear and discard.
Place a cast iron griddle pan on a high heat or alternatively light a barbecue and allow to get quite hot.
Spread half of the Kerrygold Softer butter over the asparagus spears, season with salt and pepper, then place on the barbecue or griddle pan. Cook, turning once for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until tender and lightly scorched.
Remove from the barbecue or grill, then cut each spear at an angle in to about 3 – 4 pieces. Toss in a bowl with the remaining butter.
To cook the pasta, place a large saucepan of salted water on a high heat and bring to the boil. Add the pasta ribbons and cook for about 2-4 minutes until just al dente. Drain, reserving a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid, and return to the warm pan, off the heat.
Add the crème fraîche to the drained pasta in the pan and toss to coat, then tip in the asparagus and Parma ham and season to taste with sea salt and pepper.
Serve in warmed bowls with a few shavings of Parmesan, grated lemon zest and a few basil leaves on top of each portion.

Cooks Tip: If asparagus is out of season use courgettes instead, thinly sliced lengthways.

Soft flour tortillas are topped with omelettes and a lively salsa, then rolled up. Perfect for breakfast on-the-go or an anytime snack.

Serves 4 / Prep time: 10 minutes / Cook time 10 minutes

4 soft flour tortillas

8 Big & Fresh eggs

4 tbsp milk

2 tomatoes, finely chopped

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 red, green or yellow pepper, deseeded and finely chopped

2 tsp finely chopped green or red chilli (optional)

2 tsp vegetable oil

80g mature Cheddar cheese, grated

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Lay out the tortillas on a work surface. Preheat the grill.

2. Beat the eggs and milk together. In a separate bowl, mix together the tomatoes, onion, pepper and chilli (if using), seasoning with salt and black pepper.

3. Heat ½ tsp of vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan and pour in one quarter of the beaten egg mixture. Cook on the hob over a medium heat for a few moments to set the base. Sprinkle one quarter of the tomato mixture over the surface, then sprinkle 20g of the cheese over the top. Grill to set the egg and melt the cheese.

4. Slide the omelette onto one of the tortillas. Leave to cool a little while you make three more omelettes, placing them on top of the tortillas as you go. Roll up the tortillas, slice in half and serve immediately, or wrap in foil to serve later.

Cook’s tip: Use plain or whole-wheat tortillas; though remember that whole-wheat ones have higher fibre content.

Nutritional analysis per serving

1669kJ/399kcal

22g protein

23g fat of which 9g saturates

27g carbohydrate of which 9g sugars

2g dietary fibre

516mg sodium equivalent to 1.2g salt

This recipe was made using Big & Fresh eggs, for more information and delicious recipes visit www.bigandfresh.co.uk

In a small saucepan, melt the butter on a gentle heat, the butter should foam as it burns-off the water. As soon as the foaming starts to reduce, pour it (in a slow trickle) in to the egg mixture, whilst whisking. Continue whisking until the butter is fully combined. Add a pinch of salt to season.

To cook the perfect poached egg
Poach 2 happy eggs. A great trick, to hold the egg together when cooking, is to place the whole egg (shell on) in simmering water for 10 seconds, then place it in cold water until it’s cool enough to touch. Next, crack it open and place into simmering water and cook for 3 minutes. Add a few drops of vinegar to the water too.

To assemble
Split and toast the English muffins, butter them and place on a plate. Arrange the ham on top followed by the poached eggs and a generous helping of hollandaise sauce. Top with a sprinkle of cracked black pepper.

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I'm Kate and thanks so much for visiting my blog.
The blog aims to make women feel great about themselves and to help with the challenging issues life sometimes throws our way as women and mums. It also highlights good causes, celebrates our family life and sometimes goes too far and slips right through that thin ice!